This invention relates to hand grips and more particularly to grips that can be molded and remolded to conform to the contours of the hand of a particular user.
To make the most effective use of an implement that must be grasped by the hand, the implement should conform to the shape of the hand that grasps it. A common approach is to provide a contoured grip generally conforming to an average hand and having a resilient outer layer that yields at points of greatest pressure to thereby conform to individual differences. If this layer is soft enough to conform readily, the implement is not held securely unless the hand grips tightly. If this layer is firm, then there is inadequate conformation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,495 issued Nov. 22, 1988 to Dellis discloses a grip having a layer of a thermoplastic material that may be softened enough to be remoldable by heating to a temperature that can be safely grasped by the hand. When a grip of this type is heated by a hair dryer or hot water, the user may grasp the handle and mold the contours of the hand into this layer. The shape will be retained upon cooling to produce a custom-molded hand grip unique to that hand. An inner layer that is resilient and shock absorbing but will not soften at those temperatures is provided so that there will always be a useful resilient layer beneath even the narrowest diameter of the molded grip with that inner layer also limiting the narrow diameter. This ensures that shock and vibration will not be transmitted through to the hand. U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,024 issued Jun. 19, 1990 to Sexton also discloses a heat moldable grip.
Grips of the prior art, where the outer layer is the heat-moldable layer, present certain problems. It may be difficult to find a material that combines the low temperature moldability with good surface friction, cut and tear resistance and softness. Furthermore, the upper temperature limit of moldability must be low enough to be safely grasped by the hand. This may be so low that the grip may inadvertently be remolded by exposure to temperatures in a hot car trunk, for example. Both Sexton U.S. Pat. No. (4,934,024) and Dellis U.S. Pat. No. (4,785,795) teach the use of ethylene vinyl acetate for the heat moldable plastic layer. It is well known in the art that this material is so sticky when warmed that it is frequently used as an adhesive. This property interferes with its use as a grip when on the outer layer of the grip, since it attracts and holds dirt.